We'd be happy to help, but we'll need a little more information. Could you tell us what zone you're in, and generally what part of the country? Also, anything you could say about the site where you want to put the plants -- how much sun it gets, what the soil is like (sandy, loamy, clay), whether it's dry or moist, etc. would be helpful.

Our zone is 4b and in Minnesota. The site is mostly sun but shaded in later afternoon. We had a soil test done last year but I'm not entirely sure how to interpret the results. Would be happy to give details if I knew what I was looking for.

You need not worry about the peonies creating an issue with ants in the house. They will be interested in the peonies, but not be interested in your home, IME, and I've had peonies near my house for at least 20 years. I get other ants, but not the same type that likes the peonies. Peonies are happiest in full sun (at least 6 hours), so it sounds like there is enough light there.

I would love a photo of the spot. I also wonder why the hosta didn't come back since they should be fully hardy for you. When were they planted, were they given care their first season (water as needed in particular)? Did they look stressed or healthy after planting but before winter? Do you have voles (small rodents which tunnel at or just below the soil surface) or rabbits or deer that might have eaten them?

If you post what the soil test says in particular nutrients such as N, P, K, organic matter, and pH, you should get help to know what it means.

I'm suspicious if spiderwort and hostas failed to thrive.

NHBabs, the location where we're needing to fill had 3 hostas and 1 spiderwort on end (which you'll see in photos) and only one hosta came back but doesn't appear to be thriving compared to the other hostas which were planted on the other side of deck. They were watered frequently and I believe they looked healthy after being planted although I have very little experience with plants and flowers, as you've read. I don't believe we have a vole or deer problem but have seen rabbits near our house. Soil test reads P 19, K 126, organic matter 3.8% and pH 7.0.

Last photo shows location where spiderworts were planted but none came back.

if either hosta or SW die.. two of the most bulletproof plants ... i wonder about proper watering .. poor stock to start with ... or a landscaper who is of questionable ability.. which leads me to wonder.. is there plastic under all that rock???

couple btw's .... MN has some of the most incredible hosta gardens .... what is your base soil type... clay???

i see barron is with me .. lol

ken

Looks like mulch under that rock -- perhaps in contact with the plant stems? If so, perhaps rot/disease of some sort?

I would think that sort of cover would make it fairly hard for oxygen to get down to the roots, especially if the mulch layer is thick.

ken_adrian,

It's possible that the hostas and spiderworts were over-watered. I'm unsure of base soil type but had soil tested and soil test reads P 19, K 126, organic matter 3.8% and pH 7.0. There is plastic under the rock areas and mulch around the plants. I am unsure how much area immediately around the plants is covered in plastic. I had also read that hostas and spiderworts were very easy to keep growing. Sadly, I did not have much of a chance to fix any known issues because they were planted in the fall where I watered them often and then come spring nothing grew out of the area they were planted.

Oh GOD, plastic on the soil surface is totally undoable, the plants roots either bake, dessicate, and/or cant' get oxygen.

It retards weeds, for that reason...but it also retards desirable plants.

dbarron,

Unfortunately we hired someone to do the work because we know nothing about this type of thing. We trusted that they knew what they were doing. Any advice on where we can go from here?

Well, I would wait for someone to second my opinion, but having previously dealt with this type of landscaping at my last house, I feel self-confident.

If others agree this doesn't work, then you can either live with inanimate objects as focal points (aka garden scuplture, pink flamingos, the like etc), or you can rip the plastic sheeting out and start fresh.

I'm agreeing with dbarron on this - personally, I'd get rid of both the plastic landscape fabric and the rock mulch. The soil and the life it supports are THE most important thing in your garden and base for any gardening success or failure. Not everyone who has a business as a gardener or landscaper is necessarily cognizant of this or if they are, often ignore it in favor of speed, "ease" of maintenance and immediate appearance.

Once you get rid of the stuff covering the soil, I guarantee you will need to do some soil improvement, adding organic matter, like compost. Once you have dug in a reasonable amount of OM, you should be able to replant with whatever you like. Water in well and then top with an organic mulch, like more compost or shredded bark or pine straw.

As mentioned previously, both hostas and spiderwort are dead easy plants to grow so the fact they struggled and some died is a clear indication that current growing conditions are sub-par.

Thanks GG, I wanted someone else to speak before I advocated starting over. But I agree totally with GG48 as well. So...decide if you want a neat clean and non-organic space, or if you want to learn to be a gardener. It's fun..if it interests you, if it doesn't...maybe it's not for you.

I am sorry that you were taken advantage of by someone who appears to know little about gardening. The combination of landscape cloth or plastic under rocks is hard on plants. It interferes with movement of water and air to and from the soil, and the rocks tend to heat up and reflect a lot of light, something that most Hostas wouldn't find to be easy growing conditions. Rock is also an issue in a garden because within a few seasons, dirt and weed seeds will blow in on top of the rocks and root down into the rocks and their plastic underlayment, and it is much more difficult to remove weeds from the rock/plastic mixture.

If you want plants there, I'd bury a strip of edging under the edge of the deck, and then remove the plastic and stone in the area to be planted that lies outside of the deck (or hire a teenager who wants to earn some $.) You can leave the rocks in the area shaded by the deck as most weeds won't grow well there. Then mulch the garden area with an organic-based mulch such as shredded bark which helps maintain even soil moisture and temperature. I might plant a row of Bobo panicled Hydrangeas with an underplanting of groundcover such as Veronica Georgia Blue. It will still need weeding, but IME only a few hours per growing season if you stay on top of it. It will look good all season, and will be relatively easy care.

I crossposted with GG48, but it seems like we are on the same page.

I forgot to give info on the soil test. It's a bit on the low end for organic matter which is why GG48 suggested digging some in. It's best for the whole bed to get the organic matter, not just the holes where you put plants. pH of 7 is neutral, so you should be fine since quite a range of plants will grow in neutral to slightly acid soil. And it seems like your P and K levels are reasonable. With an organic mulch, over time this will break down and add to nutrient levels at a pace that the plants can use it, so you will want to occasionally (every couple of seasons) add more mulch.

I find mulch renewal is needed here every year, but that's probably due to my hotter and longer growing season than most. Depending on your yard weed situation, you can also use a heavy layer of lawn clippings in some situations (my bamboo loves it...and it gives needed silicates for the bamboo).

I mulch my garden every year as well. As I tend to favor compost for mulch, I never need to fertilize anything, as the compost adds to the soil fertility on an ongoing basis.

And it just makes everything look clean and tidy ;-))

Is there a minimal, short-term fix that could be helpful here if the OP isn't ready to remove all the plastic/rock this year? Or is it not worth the trouble?

I echo what others above have said. It truly is a design for inanimate objects - which is great if that's what you want. Like if you just wanted rocks there. But if you want things growing in the ground - that is another story. I would be very curious what your landscaper has to say about this!

Thank you everyone for your helpful advice! Unfortunately, this is not the answer I wanted but am glad to have such great input before spending even more money to put something new there that will also not thrive. The good news is everything else (so far) that has been planted in our landscaping surrounding our home has survived and is thriving that I can tell. Although I am interested in learning more about gardening, at this time I feel all this work is more than I bargained for and it won't be happening for a while as it sounds very time consuming. I appreciate the time everyone took to explain the proper procedure that things should be done in the future! Maybe someday i'll get my peonies. :)

Maybe it is not plastic but landscape fabric. I cannot imagine any landscaper laying down plastic. If it is landscape fabric just cut fabric and plant. Just cut it back further than the roots instead of a small planting hole.

marquest, you are correct. I just asked my husband and he said it's landscape fabric. This is a good indication of how knowledgeable I am regarding gardening and landscaping. :)

Whether it's landscape fabric or plastic, remove it. The fabric is no better in the long run than plastic. It does nothing but cause problems. And it certainly doesn't deter weeds, which grow from seed blown in by the wind.

There are no such shortcuts (that work) or we'd all be using them..and believe me, we've tried.

I would remove both the fabric and the stones. Peonies should do fine and truth be told, I have never had a problem with ants on my peony at all. I also use compost for mulch or finely shredded pine yearly. It helps my clay soil and does look nice. I missed doing it last fall or spring abd am paying the price with weeds galore now.

This may be a old wife's tale (forgive me old wives), but I thought I remembered reading once that ants were integral in removing the sticky substance and that the blossoms wouldn't open without their aid. I suspect that's untrue, but certainly the secretion attracts ants for a period. However that only means that certain ants in the environment feed there, not that it lures in new colonies or something.

Wait - there's a window well there. If you care about the light or view from that window, choose your plants accordingly. Nothing too tall, too dense, or that dies back on the house side if not facing light..